Iced Teani – Shaken, Not Stirred

Kat and I agree that few icons are better than 007. In fact, Kat and her friends have been having a James Bond view-a-thon over the past several weeks. Each week, one friend hosts a viewing party of a James Bond film complete with food and beverage. One thing we’ve all noticed is that over the decades, the martini gets a lot of press from the Bond series. After all, when one asks for a martini, who can resist saying, “Shaken, not stirred.”

As we prep to host this week’s Bond night, Kat and I have come up with a fun twist on the martini. We’ve developed a couple of Iced Teani recipes that are sure to be crowd pleasers!

Brew a 6-cup pot of tea, with boiling water and the tea bags. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then pull out the tea bags. Allow to cool for several minutes and then refrigerate until very cold.

Make the mint syrup by putting 16 mint leaves, lightly chopped, into a sauce pan with 1⁄4 cup water and 1⁄2 cup sugar. Heat on medium-high until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is translucent. Set aside to cool, and then strain.

Add the cooled, strained mint syrup and the vodka to the chilled tea pot. Give it all a good stir and pour into martini glass, garnished with fresh mint leaves. If not quite cold enough, shake in martini shaker with ice until chilled.

Brew a 6-cup pot of tea, with boiling water and the 5 tea bags. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea bags. Allow to cool for several minutes and then refrigerate until very cold.

Make the blueberry syrup by putting 1/3 cup blueberries into a sauce pot with 1⁄4 cup water and 1⁄2 cup sugar. Heat on medium-high, crush berries and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is a deep purple Set aside to cool, and then strain.

Add the cooled, strained syrup and the vodka to the chilled tea pot. Give it all a good stir and pour into martini glass, garnished with several blueberries skewered on a toothpick. If not quite cold enough, shake in martini shaker with ice until chilled.

Just as each actor gives James Bond his own distinct flair, our twist on the martini will be sure to make our viewing party the most memorable!